Seabass

Dicentrarchus labrax

3: OK - Needs improvement How we work out the ratings

What to check for

Location

All areas

Production method

Open net pen, marine

Certification

Global Seafood Alliance Best Aquaculture Practices (GAA BAP) 3*
Global Seafood Alliance Best Aquaculture Practices (GAA BAP) 4*

Rating summary

BAP farmed sea bass is well managed and management is thought to be fully effective. The standard mitigates many areas of environmental concern in open net pen aquaculture, including discharge of effluents, use of chemicals, escapes, disease and parasite interactions. However, predators are still allowed to be lethally controlled. There are also criteria in place covering welfare and humane slaughter. Criteria on responsible feed sourcing requires it to be traceable, however, sourcing of marine ingredients is not verified via audit and BAP certified bream can use a high quantity of wild caught fish in their diet.This rating is based on full compliance with certification requirements. Commercial buyers should therefore ensure that full compliance has been achieved in order for this rating to be applicable.Rating last updated: November 2022

Technical consultation summary

How we worked out this Rating

The GSA BAP Feed Mill Standard fails to ensure that 100% of all feed ingredients are responsibly sourced.To be GSA BAP 4* certified, you must comply with the GSA BAP Feed Mill Standard. The Feed Mill Standard ensures that the protein and oil component of the feed used is known and traceable to the country of origin and/or to the fishery where the raw materials were sourced.However, only 50% of marine proteins and oils must be responsibly sourced and it can come from sources that are not verified by 3rd party audit. Terrestrial ingredients (soy and palm oil) also do not need to be 100% responsibly sourced.Although bass and bream are good feed convertors, they still require more wild fish protein than they produce, making them a net consumer of protein. The GSA BAP Feed Mill Standard does not set adequate limits on the amount of wild fish that can be used in feed production.

Seabass and bream farming in marine net pens can have negative environmental impacts. However, several of these impacts are mitigated by BAP certification.Farmed bass and bream in marine net pens does not deplete freshwater supplies. Habitat alteration is also small scale through the use of mooring grids only. All juveniles are sourced from hatcheries.Although production systems do discharge directly into the aquatic environment, the BAP standard has criteria in place to monitor discharges and their impacts on benthic conditions. Chemicals are also used but are effectively regulated by the BAP standard.Parasitic transfer from farmed bass and bream to adjacent species is hard to prove and has rarely been documented, therefore, the environmental impact is unknown. There is also a potential problems with pathogenic disease outbreak However, the BAP standard has health management procedures and biosecurity controls to mitigate the impact from both parasites and pathogens.In open net pen aquaculture, there is a potential risk of escapes. However, the BAP standard has criteria in place to reduce this risk. While lethal control is discouraged, it can still be used within the BAP certification standard.

The GSA BAP Farm Standard has criteria in place to ensure animal welfare and humane slaughter.The GSA BAP Farm Standard outlines practices that are in place to ensure animal welfare including an Animal Health Management Plan. It also details approved humane methods of slaughter.

BAP farmed bass and bream are well managed and management is thought to be fully effective. Management could be improved by the addition of a mandatory Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA).Both the EU and Turkey have committed to zonal based management of aquaculture. The GSA BAP certification criteria covers the identification and protection of valuable habitats and species, use of land and water resources, use of chemicals, discharges, biosecurity, disease management and species introduction. It does not require that certified farms undertake a formal Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA).The Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) certification programme comprises a suite of standards for farms, hatcheries, feed mills and processing plants addressing environmental and social issues, food safety and animal welfare. Benchmarked to GSSI and GFSI and with star ratings (1-4), it uses independent audits to provide assurance along the supply chain.

References

Arechavala-Lopa, P. Toldeo-Guedes, K. et al. 2018. Implications of Sea Bream and Sea Bass Escapes for Sustainable Aquaculture Management: A Review of Interactions, Risks and Consequences. Reviews in Fisheries Science and Aquaculture. 28(214-234).

BioMar. 2021. Global Sustainability Report. Available at https://www.biomar.com/globalassets/.global/sustainability-report/en_biomar-global-sustainability-report-2021.pdf [Accessed on 25.10.2022].

Cardia, F. and Lovatelli, A. 2017. Aquaculture operations in floating HDPE cages. A field handbook. FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Technical Paper 593.

Compassion in World Farming (CWF). 2018. Humane Slaughter: Gilthead sea bream and European sea bass. Available at https://www.compassioninfoodbusiness.com/media/7434843/humane-slaughter-european-sea-bass-and-gilthead-sea-bream.pdf [Accessed on 25.10.2022].

European Commission. 2021. Strategic guidelines for a more sustainable and competitive EU aquaculture for the period 2021 to 2030. Available at https://ec.europa.eu/info/law/better-regulation/have-your-say/initiatives/12261-EU-fish-farms-aquaculture-updated-guidelines_en [Accessed on 25.10.2022].

FAO. 2020. Fishery and Aquaculture Statistics. Global production by production source 1950-2018 (FishstatJ). In: FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Department [online]. Rome. Updated 2020. Available at www.fao.org/fishery/statistics/software/fishstatj/en [Accessed on 25.10.2022].

FEFAC SOY SOURCING GUIDELINES 2021. Available at https://fefac.eu/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/FEFAC-Soy-Sourcing-Guidelines-2021-1.pdf [Accessed on 15.10.2022].

Fishsource. 2021. Aquaculture Profiles. Seabass/seabream. Turkey. Available at https://www.fishsource.org/ama_page?id=91 [Accessed on 25.10.2022].

Global Seafood Alliance. Best Aquaculture Practice. Farm Standard 3.0. Available at https://www.bapcertification.org/Standards [Accessed on 25.10.2022].

Global Seafood Alliance. Best Aquaculture Practice. Feed Mill Standard 3.1. Available at https://www.bapcertification.org/Standards [Accessed on 25.10.2022].

Mladineo I, Šegvić-Bubić T, Stanić R, Desdevises Y. 2013. Morphological Plasticity and Phylogeny in a Monogenean Parasite Transferring between Wild and Reared Fish Populations. PLOS ONE 8(4): e62011. 

Prevent Escape. 2013. Prevent Escape Project Compendium. Available at https://issuu.com/oceanografica/docs/prevent_escape [Accessed on 25.10.2022].

Rodrigo Orrego. 2018. Fish Farming Expert: Fish Farming School. Available at https://www.fishfarmingexpert.com/fishfarming-school/1265835 [Accessed on 25.10.2022].

Roundtable on Responsible Soy. Version 4.0 2021. Available at https://responsiblesoy.org/documentos/rtrs-standard-for-responsible-soy-production-v4-0?lang=en#:~:text=0,-Last%20approved%20Version&text=Generic%20standard%20setting%20out%20Requirements,conformity%20in%20certified%20production%20sites [Accessed on 15.10.2022].

RSPO Principles and Criteria for the Production of Sustainable Palm Oil. 2018. Available at https://rspo.org/standards [Accessed on 25.10.2022].

Seafish. Aquaculture Profiles. European Sea Bass. Feed. Available at https://www.seafish.org/responsible-sourcing/aquaculture-farming-seafood/species-farmed-in-aquaculture/aquaculture-profiles/european-sea-bass/feed/ [Accessed on 07.12.2022].

Skretting. 2021 Sustainability report. Available at https://www.skretting.com/siteassets/global/sustainability/pdfs/pdf-interactive-skretting-sustainability-report-2021.pdf?v=4a2cef [Accessed on 25.10.2022].

Skretting. Soy and oil palm ingredients sourcing policy – roadmap 2025. Available at https://www.skretting.com/globalassets/shared-documents/sustainability/201203-nutreco-soy-and-oil-palm-ingredients-sourcing-policy.pdf?v=4af3f1 [Accessed on 25.10.2022].

Tornero, V. and Hanke, G. 2016. Chemical contaminants entering the marine environment from sea-based sources: A review with a focus on European seas. Marine Pollution Bulletin. 112(1-2).

WWF. 2021. Sea bass and sea bream supply chain study: from Turkey to Europe. Fish Forward Project: Responsible seafood consumption for the benefit of people, oceans and climate. Published by WWF-UK. Available at https://www.fishforward.eu/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/WWF_supply_chain_study_2021_seabass_seabream.pdf [Accessed on 25.10.2022].

Sustainable swaps

Basa
5 sources, rated from 2-4
Gilthead bream
6 sources, rated from 2-4
Meagre
4 sources, rated from 2-3
Red mullet
7 sources, rated from 2-5
Tilapia
2 sources, rated from 2-4
Alaska pollock
4 sources, rated from 1-3

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